What do you think?
by FireTiger1008
Summary: So this takes place about a year after the remnant has been removed from Tanith. Her and Ghastly are invited to Valkyrie's 22nd birthday party but their evening gets off to a bit of a rocky start. One shot Ganith. Rated T for suggestiveness.


"What do you think?" Ghastly asked turning towards his girlfriend, she glanced back at him in the mirror her eyes shining as they caught the light.

"You look great!" She told him. Ghastly smoothed down his suit smiling, as usual he was wearing clothing he himself had made. He hadn't been so sure about it but Tanith loved it and convinced him to wear it tonight. _'You look great in blue; you match my eyes' _she had said when he first showed her, he smiled at the memory and looked up at her as she fused with her hair now. The year as a couple had flown by but he remembered each moment as if it was just yesterday. He went over to her and wrapped his arms around her bringing his face next to hers.

"What's with the face?" he asked looking at her reflection.

"Face? What face? This is my face!" she said sounding slightly offended making him laugh.

"You had your thinking face on." He told her causing a frown to appear on her face

"I have a thinking face?" she wondered looking at her own reflection to study her own face. He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"You have a lot of faces honey." He stood up and went to leave the room

"What's that suppose to mean?" she asked before he left

"Don't worry, they're all beautiful!" and with that he left to go to the bathroom leaving Tanith to do her makeup. Tanith couldn't help but grin at Ghastly's comment, a year they had been together, a year he had been saying romantic and sweet things to her but they still had the same effect that they did from when they first started dating. She opened the draw and took out her desired make up.

Ghastly turned and examined himself from the side, Tanith was right. He would at least match her eyes but beside that he couldn't deny he didn't look to bad. He didn't fail to notice though that he seemed to have gained weight, probally due to Tanith making the best cookies he had ever tasted. Ghastly decided he would have to eat less and with that left the bathroom fancying a cookie.

"Ahh!" he heard Tanith scream and immediately broke into a sprint to their room clicking his fingers to summon fire. He entered scanning the room for attackers to find Tanith blinking franticly. He came out of his defensive position and looked at her frowning.

"What happened?" He asked. Tanith looked at him and looked away before admitting

"I stabbed my eye with mascara." Ghastly couldn't help but laugh and to think, he had been panicking. "What?!" She asked "You have no idea how painful it is!" She told him. He crouched by her seat and looked at her eye, it appeared fine.

"Tanith, there isn't anything there. It doesnt even look irritated." He reassured her still checking her eye.

"Well it still hurt, I don't think I've ever been in so much pain!" Ghastly raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not lying!" she told him. Tanith Low, stabbed in the back by a clever, poisoned and had a seizure, thrown of a car, nails stuck in her hands and legs and had a remnant attached to her, no problem. Stabbed in the eye with mascara, major problem. He smiled at her and picked up the mascara.

"Well how about I help you?" he suggested making her look at him questioningly. "I'm a tailor does that not prove I have a steady hand?"

"Alright but don't put too much on." She agreed. Ghastly nodded smiling

"Right and mascara this goes on your lips right?" Tanith playfully hit him in the arm causing him to laugh. "I'm joking now stay still." Ghastly took the mascara brush and started to apply it but she immediately flinched. "Tanith, relax." He tried a second time and she still flinched. "No wonder you stabbed yourself in the eye." He said sighing. "Is this why you don't wear makeup often?" he wondered.

"On my eyes at least." She nodded.

"Well how about I hold the brush by your eye and you just blink?" Tanith gave another nod and Ghastly placed the brush by her eye. Tanith blinked applying the mascara. "I never knew your eyes were so sensitive." Ghastly said.

"Why would you?" Tanith wondered as Ghastly moved the brush over to her other eye.

"I don't know I guess I just always assumed that they wouldn't be, you're not exactly easy to injure." Ghastly pulled the brush away and Tanith blinked a few extra times more. "There you go. I think I did a beautiful job, if I do say so myself." Tanith looked at her reflection and smiled.

"Thank you." She said taking the mascara out of his hand. Ghastly just shrugged it off, it really was nothing but he didn't bother telling her that.

"Though I think I do prefer the natural look." He told her. Tanith shook her head placing her makeup away

"Hypocrite."

"What?" Ghastly asked

"You're the one always avoiding the natural look." She told him standing up and grabbing her bag. Ghastly looked at her as she made sure she had what she needed in her bag.

"That's different. Tanith you don't know what it's like growing up having people making fun of you." Tanith looked at him

"How would you now if I did or not?"

"Well you don't." Ghastly said

"Well I do." Tanith mimicked "I may not have scars on my face but people always find a reason to make fun of you."

"So you know what it's like to be called names everyday of your life?" Ghastly challenged

"Yes and you get use to it! The words lose their sting." Ghastly could hear the annoyance in her voice.

"Are you angry at me?" He asked getting annoyed himself.

"As a matter of fact I am! You always assume that you're alone in the world and that no one understands you. If for one moment you brought down your stupid walls you would see that you're not special, you're just like everyone else!" Tanith snapped

"You want to talk about putting up walls? You are impossible to get anything out of! You shut yourself of from people, why? Is it because the remnant? Is it because this horrible child hood you apparently had?!" Ghastly didn't hesitate to snap back

"I never said that!" Tanith shouted

"Exactly Tanith! You never say do you?"

"You know what we can't do this now we're going to be late." Tanith said putting her bag on her shoulder and quickly exiting the room.

"Oh look at that, as soon as things start getting personal she walks out." Ghastly muttered before following her.

"Happy birthday Val!" Tanith said hugging her best friend. Valkyrie couldn't help but notice how Tanith held the hug a little longer than she usually would have.

"Happy birthday." Ghastly said giving her a quick hug.

"Thanks, you two okay?"

"Yeah." The pair said in unison unconvincingly. Valkyrie frowned at them but got distracted when China came over to say hello. Ghastly took the opportunity to get a drink while Tanith stayed and spoke with China about her library which was due to re-open soon. What Ghastly really wanted was tea but this was a party and of course there was none so he settled for some beer instead. He turned to see a Skeleton standing next to him.

"Can you believe it's been 10 years? I met her when she was 12, at least I think I did." Skulduggery said looking at Valkyrie as she laughed with Clarabelle. Ghastly turned around to look at Valkyrie.

"It's gone quick for sure."

"So what's happened?" Skulduggery cocked his head to Ghastly.

"Since yesterday when you last saw me? Nothing really." Ghastly lied not looking at his friend

"Then why is Tanith dancing with Saracen?" Ghastly's eyes immediately searched the room and sure enough there they were dancing together. It wasn't exactly romantic. The song, one that Ghastly didn't recognize, was far too upbeat for them to dance romantically but he couldn't help but feel slightly jealous. Tanith was his girlfriend, he should be dancing with her. He should be the one making her laugh, he should be the one spinning her around. What was next? Was she going to become Tanith Rue? "You're overacting." Skulduggery told him. "They're just dancing."

"Then why did you feel the need to point it out?" Ghastly asked not taking his eyes of Tanith. He had made her that dress and now she was dancing with someone else in it. He looked at Skulduggery when he hadn't answered his question.

"It was a question. I'm a detective, we ask a lot of questions." Was all the skeleton said.

"We may have a had a..."Ghastly paused trying to choose the right word "disagreement."

"So a fight."

"Disagreement."

"Fight."

"Debate."

"Fight."

"Maybe not a light hearted one but-"

"Fight." Ghastly sighed knowing his friend wouldn't give in.

"Fight. We had a fight." He admitted.

"Don't worry the first step is admitting you have a problem." Ghastly looked at Skulduggery "Does that not apply to this situation? I thought it always applied."

"Not if you don't have a problem." Ghastly pointed out. Skulduggery nodded

"But you do have a problem." Ghastly sighed, he wasn't enjoying this conversation. "What were you fighting about?"

"Skulduggery this is kind of private."

"If one of you were to mysteriously go missing I would like to be able to solve the case quickly so I think its best you tell me now instead of waking up in a cold, damp basement with no one knowing who put you there."

"Tanith isn't going-" Skulduggery turned his head and looked at Ghastly. Even as just a skull it was the kind of look that said _'I'm going to get this out of you anyway so you might as well spill it all now and save us both the trouble.'_ "I don't know." Ghastly admitted

"You don't know what you were fighting about?" Ghastly shook his head. "Then what's the problem?" Ghastly looked at Tanith just as she looked over to him. She gave him a half smile before quickly turning away. She said something to Saracen and quickly walked of, Ghastly just stood and watched as Valkyrie chased after her noticing something was wrong.

"There isn't one."

"Another case solved by inspector me." Skulduggery said proudly. "Go talk to Tanith."

"I can't."

"Don't go all shy on me, the last time you did you ended up waiting years for a first date! Grow a pair. That's what the kids say nowadays isn't it? I would let you borrow mine but I'm a skeleton. What, why are you looking at me like that?"

"I can't talk to her because she went to the toilet." Skulduggery just stared at Ghastly. "You can leave." Ghastly told him.

"Thank you." And with that Skulduggery went to talk to other guests.

Valkyrie opened the door to the toilets and peered around the corner to see Tanith. She had her head down and was supporting herself against the sink.

"Tanith?" Valkyrie asked creeping in. Tanith turned her head to look at the dark haired girl. "You aren't drunk already are you because you've only been here about 5 minutes?" Tanith shook her head but didn't say anything. "Is it you and Ghastly?" Tanith nodded clasping a hand to her face. Only when Valkyrie moved closer did she realise Tanith's red eyes, she was fitting back tears and not doing a very good job either. Valkyrie had never seen Tanith like this, she was always so strong, she never stopped smiling and was constantly bouncing of walls; quite literally. This though was a new side of Tanith, it was like the scared little child in her, it was her weak side. Valkyrie placed a hand on her friends shoulder. "Do you want me to talk to him because if you want I will go kick his arse?" Tanith laughed slightly at the thought of Valkyrie trying to kick Ghastly's arse. She took a deep breath and stood up straight shaking her head.

"Don't worry about me Val, it's your birthday. Go have fun, get drunk, hook up whatever, I'll be fine." Valkyrie just looked at Tanith, she held her arms out and Tanith immediately excepted the hug. Tanith pulled away and Valkyrie looked at her.

"What's happened?" she asked. It was at that moment when the door opened and China walked in she looked at the two people standing in front of her.

"Sorry am I intruding on some kind of little club or something?" She asked. Valkyrie shook her head but didn't say anything she didn't know if Tanith would want to tell China what was going on. Valkyrie loved China but she knew what she could be like. China studied Tanith.

"Guys are real arse holes aren't they? Do you want me to hit him? It's been a long time since I hit a guy. I don't get the excuse often when they just collapse on their knees saying they love me." China asked Tanith

"Should I be concerned you both offered that?" Tanith asked trying to have a laugh about the situation. Valkyrie smiled but China's expression didn't change she just walked up to them her heels clicking against the floor.

"Look, you've found someone who became an elder because they wanted to help you, who spent years trying to find you and then beat up the man who took advantage of your remnant state, although I think he did that partly for his own enjoyment. My point is, you're not going to find another Ghastly out there. He loves you, for you and that's more than I've ever had. Don't let him get away." China then turned and left apparently forgetting the reason she had come in in the first place. Valkyrie looked an Tanith.

"I didn't know you and China were that close?" she said

"Neither did I." Said Tanith still looking in the direction China had left

"I guess it's just impossible to know anything about her when she has so many walls up." Tanith looked at Valkyrie "what?" she wondered. Tanith shook her head.

"Nothing, I just really need to talk to Ghastly." Valkyrie smiled, she had never realised how much Tanith really loved him.

"Then what are you doing in here still talking to me? Go find him!" She ordered and with that Tanith gave Valkyrie one last hug and went to find her boyfriend.

Tanith scanned the room for any sign of Ghastly but he wasn't anywhere. Not by the drinks, sitting at a table or dancing. She was about to scale a wall for a better view when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around she immediately smiled at the sight of Ghastly, without hesitation she wrapped her arms around him. Once ghastly had come over the initial shock of the greeting he hugged her back letting out a laugh. She pulled away and looked into his dark eyes.

"I'm sorry I-" Ghastly placed a finger on her lips shutting her up he shook his head.

"No I'm sorry it was wrong for me to assume and if you don't want people to know things about you that's your choice, you don't have to share everything just because we're together." Tanith smiled and kissed him, she desperately wanted to deepen the kiss but didn't think the other guests at the party would be very appreciative. The opening notes of the 'love she found in me' by Michael Johnson came on and Tanith smiled at Ghastly. He sighed knowing what she wanted. "Come on then." He grabbed her hands and dragged her over to the dance floor. Tanith smiled wrapping her arms around Ghastly's neck as his found their way around her waist. As they started to sway to the music Tanith noticed Valkyrie dancing with Fletcher and smiled. They had been on the verge of getting back together for a while now but now it appeared to be official. Tanith smiled at Ghastly and gently pressed her lips against his making him smile as well.

"Have I ever told you I loved you?" Tanith said. Ghastly frowned

"I think you may have mentioned it a couple of times." He said making her laugh. "I love you too." He said embracing her in another kiss. Tanith smiled resting her head against him as they danced the night away.

Ghastly settled Tanith on the floor of their room, she would have been able to walk up the stairs herself but her shoes had blistered her feet and he decided to save her the trouble.

"Could you?" Tanith asked turning her back on Ghastly and moving her hair out the way. Ghastly undid the back of the dress and rolled it of her shoulders

"Seems like a stupid question, when would I ever pass up the opportunity to undress you?" Tanith laughed as Ghastly began to kiss her neck. The dress dropped to the floor and Tanith stepped out of it turning to face Ghastly. She stepped closer to him and kissed him with all the passion she had wanted to at the party. Her fingers traced the pattern of one of his scars down to his neck but she didn't stop she let her fingers glide down further and removed the blue jacket Ghastly had been wearing and then proceeded to start immediately on the buttons on the shirt. Once the shirt was off Ghastly picked Tanith up, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist, he gently placed her on the bed and continued with their passionate embrace.

Turning his head Ghastly watched the gentle raise and fall of Tanith's chest. He smiled taking the opportunity to study her face. Every curve, every shadow he made sure he memorized them all. Her hair was a mess, no surprise after their activities, but even so she still looked beautiful. The last month they had lived together had been the best month of his life. Often his job didn't allow them to spend much time together during the day and by the time he got home Tanith was more than likely sound asleep and he just liked to watch her sleep. Her face looked so peaceful and even though it meant he went to work tired and grumpy it was worth every second because just seeing her face filled him with a happiness he had never felt before. Ghastly leant over and pressed his lips against Tanith's forehead causing a moan to escape her lips, he smiled before turning over and shutting his eyes.

* * *

This story was a bit of an experiment for me iv'e never done stuff quite like it and especially the more intimate part iv'e never gotten close to that so please let me know what you think, i appreciate it.

Fire :) x


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